Ore-sampling machinery



.(110 Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet I.

G. D. POTTER.

- ORB SAMPLING MACHINERY. No. 523,731. Patented July 31, 1894.

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G. D. POTTER. ORE'SAMPLING MACHINERY.

10.523,731'. Patented July 31, 1894.

(No Model.) r Y 4 sheetssheet 4.A I v G. D. POTTER..

ORE SAMPLING MACHINERY.

No. 523,731. Patented-July 31,71.894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE D. POTTER, OF WALLACE, IDAHO, ASSIGNOR OFFIVE-EIGHTHS TO CHARLES M. VHITLAW, OF SAME PLACE, AND ERNEST C. ARNOLDI, OF

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

ORE-SAM PLI NG MACHIIN ERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,731, dated July 31, A1894.

` Application filed March 14. 1893'. Serial No. 465,906. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. POTTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wallace, in the county of Shoshone and State of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ore- Sampling Machinery, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to means for autoro matically sampling precious and base ores; and the object of my invention is to obtain from a large quantity of ore or concentrates a small average sample, which, when assayed in the usual way, shall show the amount or r 5 per centage of metal contained in the whole. In order to attain this object, it is necessary that the exact weight of the whole quantity of material as compared to the sample should be determined; and also that the sample zo should be composed of a number of small quantities taken at regular intervals during the handling of the ore; audit is further necessary that the samples should'be taken from the lot of ore by positive means not depend.

ent upon the action of gravity and other natural laws which would tend to cause a separation of the coarse from the fine orlight and heavy particles.

Having thus stated the principle of my in- 3o vention, I will proceed now fo describe the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, and then will particularly point out and distinctly claim the part or improvement which I claim as my inven- 3 5 tion.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is an elevation of thefentire plant. Fig. 2 is 4o a plan view of the same. Fig. .3 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. et is a front elevation, partly broken out, of the unloading mechanism; and Fig. 5 is a side elevatio of the said unloading mechanism. f

The building and lmachinery contained therein and constituting the plant for sampling ores, is commonly referred to as a mill. I have shown in the accompanying drawings a building of suitable construction to receive 5o the mechanism hereinafter more particularly described, which constitutes my invention, and I have also shown this mechanism duplicated to such an extent as to enable the mill to work from cars arranged upon ,opposite sides thereof in order to facilitatethe sampling of ores in large quantities.

The building itself, not forming any essential. part of my invention herein, is not described in detail.

The duplication Of the mechanism for sam- 6o pling purposes will appear in detail in the following description. f

The letter A designates an unloading chute, provided with arms 2, pivoted to the shaft 3, which is mountedin suitable bearings. This chute A is provided with a saddle 4, in which is arranged a portable right and left hand screw conveyer a,-see de tails in Figs. 4 and 5.

a a, is a gear wheel meshing with a pinion on the shaft 5 of the right and left hand screw 7o conveyor a to drive it, and the said gear Wheel is driven by a belt o from a pulley 6 on the shaft 3, which shaft may be driven in any suitable manner, as by belt B and its pulley and the motion thereof transmitted to pulley 6.

The unloading chute A is provided with a hinged portion or apron A', land, as above stated, the said chute is pivoted to the shaft 3 in such a manner that the said chute, with its conveyer a removed, may be folded up and 8o swung back into the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 5, When not in use.

Apron A is attached toa'shaft 10 forming the core of the hinge which couples said apron to chute A. On one end of this4 shaft is a 85 grooved pulley 1l around which a chain 7 is Wound and the end of the chain is attached to this pulley. The other end of the chain is anchoredat a point under and slightly forward of the said pulley. When chute A be- 9o gins to move back, swinging on its arms 2, the traction of the chain on'pulleyll revolves it to the rightV (as shown 'in drawings) and with it the shaft to which the folding apron A is attached so that when the chute has as- `9 5 sumed the position shown in dotted lines the4 apron A is folded up against chute A- as shown. The unloading chut-e A opens intoa conveyor C, which is made as an open-trough chain or belt conveyor, such as are in comroo mon use, and inclined from thehorizontal sufiiclent to elevate the ore, but not so steep as to cause the ,ore to slide or roll back. This conveyer C extends to a hopper 8. It is necessary that the apron A be folded up, otherwise it would be driven down into the bottom of conveyer C and prevent the folding back of the main chute A.

D, D2 are hopper scales of any usual or approved pattern, ot' sulcient capacity to hold and weigh a carload of ore each.

E is an elevator arranged in a leg E', and this leg is provided, near its top, with a partition E2. This leg is provided at top and bottom with suitable shafts and pulleys ordrums, and appropriate driving mechanism therefor, on which pulleys or drums are arranged the two endless bucket elevators c, e. The leg E is shown in Fig. 1 as shorter on the side containing the elevator c than it is on the side containing the elevator e, because the elevator e', as will presently appear, discharges at a lower level than the elevator e. These two elevators e and e constitute what I term a double elevator, and these tweelevators are arranged to take different quantities in definite proportions; as, for instance, one may have tive or ten times the capacity of the other, according to the speed at which the sample side of the elevator is driven. The elevator' is provided with a spout E3, which receives the ore elevated by the main side of the elevator and which discharges into an endless open-trough conveyer F, running diagonally from the said spout to a point at the side of the building, one car length from the unloading conveyer C, and said elevator is also provided with a spout 9 which receives the ore from `the sample elevator and dis charges it into the sample hopper.

The hopper S is provided with a swinging spout G, mounted on the principle of a crane, and arranged immediately under the discharge of the inclined conveyer C, and swing- 1ilgDozveVthe respective centers of the hoppers I-I is another hopper scale, which is conveniently placed to receive the sample from the elevator E.

`I is a smaller double elevator, of the same general style as the double elevator E; that is to say, it is composed of a leg I', containing at top and bottom suitable shafts provided with pulleys or drums, upon which are mounted the elevators fi, t', of different relative capacity; that is to say, these elevators are designed to take up twice as much ore on one side as is taken up by the other side.

K is a double compartment auxiliary hopper` orhopper-scale into either compartment of which the sample is alternately delivered from the elevator I.

The drawings fully indicate the gearing by .which power is applied to these various ele- Vaters and conveyers, and no further descriptionthereot is deemed necessary.

`Asshown more particularly in Figs. l and 2, the conveyer C is duplicated, asis, also, the conveyer F, and it will be observed that the conveyers C deposit their loads in hopper 8, which is common to both. The elevators E and I are arranged to discharge into either of -the conveyers F, F.

The operation is substantially as follows: A car having been run opposite the unloading device, the unloading chute is brought down into position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, so as to project into the side door of the car, and then the screw conveyer a is placed in the saddle in the said unloading chtite, and ore is shoveled into 4the said conveyer at each end or either end, and is drawn by the screw to the center, where it is discharged into the unloading chute A, down which it slides on to the inclined conveyer C; by which it is carried up to the hopper 8, and, descending thence into the spout Gr, (which may contain a screw conveyer, if necessary,) it, the said ore, is delivered into hopper D or D2. The car having been emptied and the hopper, (say, hopper D,) `filled with the cars load, the ore is weighed. The empty car is then moved down to the spout of the loading conveyer F. The gate in the bottom of the hopper D is then opened, and the ore passes throughthe spouts of said hopper into the boot of the elevator E, whence it is elevated jointly bythe double lines of buckets, in the proportion of nine parts to the larger elevator e, and discharged into the horizontal conveyer F, by which it is delivered into the empty car, and one part or tenth by the other or smaller elevator e', which is delivered by the `spout 9 into the sample hopper l-I. "lhat is to say, only that portion of the load` from whichit is designed ultimately to take thesample is rctained in the mill, while all the rest of the load is immediately discharged from the mill back again into the car. The sample taken out and deposited in the sample hopper II by the smaller elevator c is thenweighed. `The weight ot' the sample deducted from the weight of the carload shows the weight of ore returned to the car at this stage of the operation, the importance of which will be shown later on in this specification. The sample having been weighed, the sample elevator I is started and two parts of the ore from the sample hopper H are delivered on to the horizontal conveyer F' by the elevator t', and one part or third is delivered into the auxiliary hopper K by the elevator fi', and the sample is re-elevated and cut down in like manner until reduced to about fifty pounds, which will represent au average of the Whole earload.

conveyer F', another car is moved forward to 'the unloading conveyor C, and while the first the other one of the hoppers D or D2. The

second carload having been weighed and the weight of the sample from the rst car hav-v ing been ascertained, the weight of this sample is taken od the scale beam of hopper D2, and the gate in the bottom of said hopper is allowed to remain open until the scale beam turns, when a sufficient quantity of ore from the second car will have been transferred to the rst car to make good the amount taken out of the same for a sample, which amount will remain in the sample vhopper until the entire lot ot' live cars has been unloaded, weighed and sampled. In the meanwhile, the weight of the sample after each carload of ore has been elevated over, will show the amount required to complete the load inthe preceding car. t

In practice, ten per cent. must be added to the weight ofthe sample at each transfer in order to cover the amount taken out for sample while the transfer is being elevated forward. p

The crane-like'conveyer G will empty the car from the unloading conveyer on either sideof the mill in either hopper D or D2, and the elevator E will take ore from either hopper and deliver it to either the right or lefthand-loading conveyer F. The mechanism can also be used to transfer ore from one side of the mill to the other, unloading from cars on one road and reloadingv(at`ter sampling) into cars on the other road.

If desired, hopper D may be filled with one carload of ore and hopper D2 with another carload, and by opening the gates in the bottoms of both hoppers the two lots will fall into the elevator together and be mixed together'and sampled at the same time. This is often done in cases where different ears are.

loaded with ores lcontaining different percentages, say of lead, for the purpose of reducing freight charges. For example, freight to a given point may be ten dollars per ton on ore containing, say, thirty-five per cent. of lead, and fifteen dollarsper ton on ore running over forty per cent. of lead. Now, by

- mixing the two carloads of ore, of these dit`- ferences of percentage, a product is obtained which will take the low rate and effect a saving of two dollars and fifty cents per ton on the combined lot of two cars.

To avoid misapprehension as to the purpose of using the duplicate mechanism, as shown, I repeat that, by means of such duplicate mechanism ore can be-unloaded from either side of the mill into either hopper scale and reloaded into the cars on either side, as desired, but, of course, the unloading cannot'be effected from opposite sides at the same time.

An important advantage to my sampling machinery is that sampling and elevating back to the car are coincident; that is to say,

ninety per cent., say, isreturned directly to the car at 'the first elevation, whereas 1n all other sampling machines to me known, the ore has to be elevated, dropped through'the sampler and re-elevated for re-loadingrlnto the car.

'What I claim isl. A machine forsampling ores-comprising a right and left-hand screw-conveyer, a swlnging chute into which the conveyer discharges, a hopper, and a conveyer leading from the chute to the hopper, combined and arranged Substantially as described, to admit ot'fthe screw-conveyer being inserted Yinto a loaded car to discharge its contents, the said screwconveyer also serving` to mix, disintegrate and rearrange the matter in transit, in combination with 'an apportioning elevator, a sampling hopper, a return conveyer, 1nto which sampling hopper and returnconveyer the apportioning elevator divides its load, de-

positing a sample in the sampling hopper and returning through the return conveyer the balance to the car, and also asample elevator and an auxiliary hopper into which and the return conveyer the said sample elevator in like manner divides its load, as set forth.

2. A machine for sampling ores comprising which the former discharges, a hopper anda conveyer leading from the chute to the hop- 'a screw-conveyer, a swinging chute intoV IOO per, combined and arranged substantially as described, to admit of the screw-conveyer being placed in a loaded car to discharge'its contents into the hopper, in combination with an apportioning elevator, a sampling hopper, a return conveyer,into which sampling hop# per and return conveyer the apportioning elevator divides its load,`depositing'a sam-V ple in the sampling hopper and returning through the return conveyer the balance to the car, and also a sample elevator and an auxiliary hopper into which and the return conveyer thejsaid sample elevatorin like manner divides its load, as set forth.

3. A machine for sampling oresconlprising a screw-conveyer, a swinging chute into which the former discharges, a hopper and a` conveyer leading from the chute to the hopper',

combined and arranged substantially asdescribed, to admit of the screw-conveyer being placed in a loaded car to discharge -its contents into the hopper, in combination with an 'apportioning elevator having a double line of buckets, the buckets of one line being of a proportionally greater capacity than those of the other, a sampling hopper, and a return conveyer, into which hopper and conveyer the apportioning elevator divides its load,` as setlforth.

.4. A niachine'for sampling ores, comprising a screw-conveyer, a swinging'chute into which the former discharges, a hopper and a conveyer leading from the chute to-the'hopper, combined and arranged substantially as de- 4 sesam scribed, to admit ot' the screW-couveyer being placed in a loaded car to discharge its con-1 tents into the hopper, in combination `With an apportioning elevator having a double line of buckets, the buckets of one line being of a proportionately greater capacity than those ot the other, a sampling hopper, and a return conveyer, into which hopper and conveyer` the apportioning elevator divides its load, and also a sample elevator having a double line of buckets, the buckets of one line having a proportionally greater capacity than those of the other, and an auxiliary hopper into which and the return conveyer the said sample elevator divides its load, whereby is insured the` positive separation at regular intervals of a given quantity of the matter under treatment, 1

independently of the action of gravity and other influences tending to impair accuracy of sampling, as set forth.

5. In a sampling apparatus, means for unloading acar,and a receiving hopper, in combination with an apportioning elevator having a double line of buckets, the'buckets of one line being ot' a proportionately greater capacity than thoseof the other, a sampling hopper, and a return conveyer, into which hopper and conveyer the apportioning elevator divides its load, and also a sample elevator having a doubleline of buckets, the buckets of one line havinga proportionally greater capacity than those ot the other, and an aux-y iliary hopper into which and the return conveyer the said sample elevator divides its load, whereby is insured the positive separation at regular intervals of a given quantity ofthe matter under treatment, independently of the action ot gravity and other influences tending to impair accuracy of sampling, as

set forth.

GEORGE D. POTTER.

Vitnesses:

CHAS. M. WHITLAW, L. DUNCAN. 

